Conscription has never been implemented in China since 1949 as the People's Liberation Army has been able to recruit sufficient numbers voluntarily. Residents of

Special Administrative Regions The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of the provincial-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government (State Co ...

(

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

), are exempted from joining the military.

Registering for the draft

The Chinese system operates through a process of draft registration. The process for registering for the draft is written in Part 13, Article II of the ''Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China'' (). Citizens who reach the age of 18 by 31 December of the year should register for the draft before 30 June of the year. Technically, military service with the PLA is obligatory for all Chinese citizens. In practice, mandatory

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

has not been implemented since 1949 as the People's Liberation Army has been able to recruit sufficient numbers voluntarily. All 18-year-old males have to register themselves with the government authorities, in a way similar to the Selective Service System of the United States. In practice, registering does not mean that the person doing so must join the People's Liberation Army. Article 55 of the

Constitution of the People's Republic of China The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the supreme law of the People's Republic of China. It was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on December 4, 1982, with further revisions about every five years. It is the fou ...

prescribes conscription by stating: "It is a sacred duty of every citizen of the People's Republic of China to defend his or her motherland and resist invasion. It is an honoured obligation of the citizens of the People's Republic of China to perform

and to join the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

forces." The 1984 Military Service Law spells out the legal basis of conscription, describing military service as a duty for "all citizens without distinction of race... and religious creed". This law has not been amended since it came into effect. Technically, those 18–22 years of age enter selective compulsory military service, with a 24-month service obligation. In reality, numbers of registering personnel are enough to support all military posts in China, creating so-called "volunteer conscription".

Punishment

Despite the fact that mandatory

has not been implemented since 1949, the already enlisted people who are proved to have avoided the draft are liable for punishment, and Beijing authorities criticize those youths who do not want to join the army.

References

{{Asia topic, Conscription in Military of China China

Registering for the draft

Punishment

See also

References